An 18-year-old woman from Epworth, Zimbabwe, has appeared in court charged with posing as a man and allegedly a$$aulting a 16-year-old girl in what prosecutors described as a long-term deception.
Shamiso Melinda Sigara, of the Overspill area in Epworth, appeared in Harare Magistrates Court over the weekend on a charge of aggravated indecent a$$ault. The case was heard before Magistrate Jessie Kufa.
According to court documents, the alleged deception began in November of last year, when Sigara approached the teenager posing as a male suitor. Prosecutors claim that the minor thought she was starting a romantic relationship with a man.
The state claims the relationship lasted several months, during which the complainant was unaware of Sigara’s biological identity.
In February, Sigara allegedly arranged for the teenager to leave her family home and move into her Overspill home, believing they would live together as husband and wife.
Prosecutors also claim that while the two were sleeping, Sigara a$$aulted the complainant on two occasions by inserting an unidentified object into her private parts while pretending to have male genitals. Following the incident, the teenager became suspicious and informed her mother, who reported the incident to police.
Sigara was eventually arrested. She was not asked to enter a plea during her first court appearance and was held in custody pending a bail hearing. The case is scheduled to return to court later this week for formal bail arguments.